There's a First For Everything
by nurrrna
Summary: After two years, Sasuke came back to Konoha, while Naruto's still away. As one determined girl closes her heart from him for good, another opens it up. He comes home to learn a lot can change in three years. NaruHina SasuSaku w minor SasuHina
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys. Wow, it's been eons since I've made a new one. Sorry. Lol. Since I'm a bit rusty, this fic is kind of a warm-up exercise. This story jumps around at times a lot. Not everything happens perfectly in sequence. I'll try to mark it every time there's a skip. Also, please be reminded that this will ultimately be a NaruHina, with only slight SasuHina. I guess either way someone's unhappy D: Try to bare with the many grammar and spelling errors my poorly-caffeinated body has undoubtedly made. Without further ado:

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But oh, the possibilities….**

Chapter One: What you want

Hinata's hair covered her eyes as she bowed her head in defeat. She watched helplessly as Naruto begged Sakura to dance with him. Reluctantly, she consented as an ecstatic Naruto dragged her to the dance floor.

It was like a knife, slowly being thrusted into her chest. She could feel the pain every waking moment, no matter how much she busied herself. Oh, the things she would for him to ask her to dance. But, she was always ignored. Always overlooked. Let's face it: next to a girl with delicate pink hair and striking green eyes, there just wasn't anything spectacular about her.

Obviously, the girl took modesty to a whole new level. She easily overlooked the simple, subtle elegance that radiated from her smooth, round face. From the warm, knowing eyes to her naturally flushed complexion, she excited a certain childlike grace that had survived the test of age and maturity. Her long, sleek locks were fastened into a knot in the back, with a few stray strands fanning the soft arcs of her neck.

She tried to keep a straight face as Neji asked Tentn for a dance, leaving her all alone. Hinata retreated to a chair pushed against the side of the wall. It was perfect for her lonesome situation; there were no other chairs around it.

Uchiha Sasuke watched with indifference as his two teammates clumsily danced through a few songs. Yeah, right. He simply turned his head away, deciding that he would not partake in such ridiculous affairs.

"I hate these stupid formal balls," the two dark haired youths muttered in silence.

Sasuke didn't even bother looking up as Nara walked towards him and took a seat at his table. "Have you danced at all yet?" He sent him the go-away-lazy-ass-bum glare.

"No."

"Well...you should ask someone."

Sasuke grunted in response. "Why don't you?"

"Because it's much too troublesome for me." Inside the sanctity of Sasuke's thoughts, he mouthed the genuis's words with a rather sour expression. "Look to your left."

He turned to the left and winced; Tsunade was quite red in the face (obviously drunk), leaking all sorts of unidentifiable fluids like mucus and drool. Shikamaru sighed. "The other left."

As he saw her sitting by herself on an isolated stool, he immediately took in the look of vulnerability written on her face. It was a truly saddening sight as Hinata fussed with the hem of her silk black embroidered dress. Sasuke merely turned back and shrugged.

Shikamaru snorted. "Or you can just keep on watching the baka and Sakura dance out of the corner of your eye, acting like no one can see you."

Hinata looked up as she felt a shadow envelop her. Sasuke offered his hand with a blank expression. "Care to dance?"

Just as they awkwardly walked out onto the dance floor, the orchestra slowed down, filled with violins and Chellos. As the deep, rich sounds poured into their ears, they uncomfortably faced each other. Sasuke looked around at the other dancing couples for inspiration. He placed one hand on her waist and clasped hers with the other. Thankful for the dim lights, she blushed slightly and clasped her small, slender fingers over his. Starting slow, they eventually quickened the pace as the music picked up.

Sasuke's mind was in a different place. He was lost in a reverie, not taking much note of his surroundings. He didn't take note of the fact that he thought she looked "okay" in her dress, or how small her waist felt under his hands. His thoughts, however, were broken as her soft voice reached him. "Was it that obvious?"

"Hn?"

"Did I look so hopelessly sad that Uchiha Sasuke had to offer someone a dance?" He shrugged and looked away, gliding her across the slick floors. "Thank you."

From her tone, Sasuke rejoiced inside that she wan't one of those girls to misinterpret things. She knew he didn't mean anything by this; he was just pressured into being nice. "No problem." Because it really wasn't.

Naruto stood at the gates, looking back at the small group of friends gathered to see him off. Sakura looked down at her toes and frowned. "So…you're really leaving for three years?"

"Yeah, but don't worry Sakura-chan! When I get back, I'll definitely bring him back! Because that's my way of the ninja!" He did that stupid good-guy pose. Sakura made a mental note to maul Gai and Lee after this.

She ran over and hugged him, picking him up from off of the ground and twirling him like a little boy. "S-Sakura-chan, I'm supposed to do that!"

"Yeah right, I'm older than you, squirt!" After she put him down, Kakashi came from behind and patted them both on the head, causing them to growl. "Ah, my cute little subordinates. Don't miss me too much, Naruto."

"Like I would miss you, you pervert!" Tenten, Neji, and Lee said goodbye too him. Ino and Choji also waved. When Shikamaru failed to, she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well, Naruto, saying goodbye would be too troublesome, so see you later, baka." Ino shrugged. "Better than nothing I guess." Shino nodded in acknowledgement, while Kiba just hmphed and looked away. Hinata tried many times to open her mouth, but it just wouldn't obey her.

Tenten kicked her in the shins. Just when Hinata was about to speak, Naruto turned around with a big, silly grin on his face. "Thanks for coming, guys. I'll see you in three years! Bye Sakura-chan!" Tenten sighed in misery as she waved to the stupid boy.

Hinata, however, stood there, glued to her spot as she watched him disappear from view altogether. They wouldn't see each other for three years, and she didn't even share any parting words with him?

"_Bye Sakura-chan!"_

"_Bye, Sakura-chan!"_

"…_Sakura-chan!"_

"…_Sakura-chan!"_

"_Sakura-chan!"_

She grabbed her temples and rubbed them, trying to rub away those words. They continued to course through her brain, as if shoving it in her face. _"All I wanted to say…was that I'd miss you. But you say bye, Sakura-chan…"_

Kiba looked at his distraught teammate and rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. She relaxed somewhat, but he could sense that trace of tenseness in her back. As they walked home together, Kiba was nerved by her silence. Usually, she would chatter on and on about her latest addition in her flower collection, or something of that nature. But this time, even the air around her was quiet.

"Hinata."

"Hm, Kiba-kun?"

"Smile…"

"Smile?"

"Yeah…even when it hurts. A frown just doesn't suit you." She metally hit herself for bringing his mood down and tried to muster up her signature "Mona-Hina" half-smile, as he called it. He smiled at the effort, and they finished their walk home in silence, but a more comfortable one.

Jiraiya looked at the mock happiness spread over his young pupil's face. He tsked. _"Youth is wasted on the young." _"So, brat. I noticed you didn't say bye to that Hyuga girl." He smirked victoriously when he saw Naruto's face pale considerably.

"Y-yeah, so what's your point?"

"What? Nothing. Who said I Have a point…unless there is a point to be made! A-ha!" He quieted down at Naruto's rarely used solemn face. "You know she likes you."

Naruto shrugged. _"I hope so…" _Jiraiya stroked his chin in deep thought. Two blue eyes rolled. "Are you thinking about your next issue in that stupid perverted series?"

"Surprisingly, no. But I will be in a few minutes." Naruto sighed. "Hey Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"If you like the Hyuga girl, why do you keep following around Sakura like a stray dog?"

He waited for the shouts, the yells, the protests, and possibly the pain. When he felt/heard nothing, Jiraiya poked one eye open. "I don't know….I guess it's because it's easier. Hinata's so mysterious…I know Sakura like the back of my hand. Probably doesn't make sense."

Jiraiya just shrugged. They continued walking off in thoughtful silence.

_Two Years Later…_

Sakura snuggled under her covers, almost at peace in the utter, sheer darkness. She looked up at the ceiling, and smiled despite herself. Painted on the ceilings, in green glow in the dark paint, were chibi figurines of Team Seven (do they have glow in the dark? Oh well, this is Nurrrna's story, it is now 8D).

_Flashback_

_Sakura was literally shoving her fists into her eyes in a sad attempt to keep them focused. As Naruto approached their meeting place, he strongly suspected that if it weren't for the bridge she was holding onto, she would've slid to the floor._

"_Ohayo-Sakura-chan!"_

"_What…? Oh…Yeah…hey."_

_Naruto skidded to a stop. Up close, she looked positively terrible. The bags under her eyes could more accurately be called craters. Her hair was disheveled, from lack of preparations, and her clothes were wrinkled, as if she had slept in them._

"_Sakura-chan, you look…"_

"_Awful. I know. Ino-pig didn't hesitate to fill me in about that."_

_He cocked his head to the side as he looked at her carefully. "Don't admire my char and good looks too much," she muttered n a flat, sarcastic voice._

_Naruto just gave her a weird look. "Sakura…did you get any sleep last night?"_

"…_A little."_

"_Liar!"_

"_I am not." Even though she so was one._

"_What's the matter?"_

"_STOP INTERROGATING ME AT THIS UNEARTHLY HOUR!"_

_After her short outburst, she looked ten times more exhausted. Sakura was now hanging onto the bridge for dear life. Naruto looked through the careless way she simply ignored her exhaustion. "Sakura…"_

_She slid down, collapsing onto the floor. Naruto sighed; this had to be the fifth time this week that he would have to haul her sleeping form back to her house. As he reached down to pick her up, he was surprised to see that she wasn't sleeping. Rather, her knees were drawn to her knees. Her tired body shook as a few sobs escaped her._

_Naruto patted her back gently and waited for her to finish in her own time. After a few minutes, Sakura at up and looked at Naruto. "It's dark…at night."_

_He heard what she said; he just didn't understand what it was that was dark; her room, or her mind."_

_End Flashback_

Sakura smiled up at his drawings with watery eyes. His solution, it appearded, remedied a little of both situations. The pink-haired kunoichi felt such bitterness inside her that she threw her lankets off, trying to let it escape into the air.

"_Uchiha Sasuke…you never give me peace."_ In his absence, no one said anything about it, but she was a complete and utter mess. She caught another glimpse of naruto' attempts to cheer her up, looking down at her from her ceiling. _"I don't want to be sad anymoe…I won't be."_

Sakura stood firm in her decision. Who was Uchiha Sasuke to her? As of now…nothing but a memory. A long, forgotten memory. _"I won't be annoying…and you'll leave me alone."_

"_We both win…right, Sasuke-kun?"_

And she was able to tell herself, for worry that she would change her mind the next day, that it was really what she wanted.

Kinda short chapter. Next one will be up soon. Probably tomorrow. Bye for now! O yeah, if you're ShadowDragon N63, you said there were a few thigns you didn't get in my other fic,a nd since you put it as anonymous, I can't really respond. So, if you leave me an e-mail, I'd be happy to clarify a few things. Later!


	2. Chapter 2

Ahh I cannot tell you how _furious_ I am! I had this chapter typed out, all ready to go! I don't know about you guys, but when I write I just let me fingers guide me. I was pretty satisfied with my chapter, too. But when I checked my computer, it wasn't there. It's a long story, but I'll spare you the dramatics. Chances are this chapter isn't as good as the original, but I tried to remember it word for word.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Thanks again to everyone who left me a nice review  Feel free to critique me, or whatever your little heart desires.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….but in _my world…_**

Chapter Two: Give in or Give Up

Sasuke turned to the side, twirling a kunai around his finger in boredom. Two slit amber eyes glared at him. "Sasuke-kun, I feel like you're not listening to me." Said boy merely grunted in response, ignoring his sensei.

Kabuto's spectacles flashed in the dim light. "It's not wise to ignore Orochimaru-sama."

The kunai stopped twirling. Sasuke turned towards Orochimaru with a blank expression. "Oh, yes, forgive me Orochimaru-_sama._ You were saying?"

The snake sanin hissed at the boy's impudence, but continued. He pointed to the large gash on Sasuke's leg. "I told you to be careful with that body. I don't want imperfections on _my_ body."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"We made a deal, in case you don't remember, Sasuke-kun. Your body isn't, well, your body anymore." Sasuke turned towards Kabuto with a menacing stare.

"Is that so?"

"Don't forget the plan, Sasuke. There's only a year left until I perform the jutsu. It's time to start with the plans and preparations."

The dots in her blood-red eyes whirled at light speed. "About that." Kabuto gulped at the killer intent radiating from him. "There's been a…slight change of plans."

Hinata sat in the field o wildflowers and gently ran her fingers over their soft, colorful petals. She picked a bundle of daisies and made haste in weaving them into a chain. Shino raised an eyebrow at her. As the daisy chain neared completion, she tied the two ends together, creating a wreath of sorts. Shino stared at it in horror…not that anyone could tell. Hinata plopped it on top of the hood of his coat, pressing it on to keep it secure. He could feel his insects crawling towards the flowers.

She laughed softly at the sight; next to his big, long coat, the bright flowers looked horribly out of place. Hinata sighed and fell backwards on the flowers, breathing in teir fragrance. She watched as Sakura and Ino had an ice cream cone on a park bench a few meters away.

"_Good-bye, Sakura-chan!"_

The mere thought of her name caused her to feel gloomy. Instantly Hinata felt ashamed with herself; Sakura's done nothing wrong; there's no reason to think of her so negatively. It's not her fault he likes her.

…but it still felt bad inside. Every time she felt like they were making progress, he would always mention her name at the perfect chances; right in time to squash her hopes like a bug.

Shino looked at his teammate. Ever since Naruto had gone, she was always lonely, and her training had become less enthusiastic. Kiba and Shino had created an around-the clock schedule to ensure that he would never be alone. It alternated between himself, Kiba, occasionally Neji, and a girl's night out every few days. They knew that when left alone to her thoughts, it would become dangerous.

Now, she wasn't born yesterday. She knew exactly what they were doing. As much as she despised the way they babied her and showered her with constant attention, she had to appreciate all their hard work and efforts.

Sakura checked her watch, and get up from the bench. She and Ino walked over to Shino and Hinata, acting surprised to "happen upon them" on coincidence. Sakura scratched her nose and tugged on her left ear twice. Shino looked at their signals and got up. "I have to use the restroom. I don't want to be the fourth wheel, so I'll see you later."

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Great to see you again! It's been a while!"

"Hi Sakura-chan, Ino-chan. I just saw you yesterday."

Ino laughed and tapped her chin. "Has it? One day from you feels so much longer. Hey, why don't we go get some ice cream!" Sakura shook her head while Hinata just gave her a weird look. She watched as mint-chocolate ice cream melted over her hand. "Um…sure. I guess."

Sakura pulled Ino aside as they talked to the nearby ice cream parlor. "Now I see where everyone gets those blond jokes from, idiot!"

"Hey, I forgot okay! Jeez, cut a girl some slack. Being all peppy and what not takes a lot of brain power."

Hinata pretended she couldn't hear every single word they were "whispering" to each other. _"Do I really look so lonely? I just wish everyone didn't have to worry so much about me…"_

He jumped from tree to tree towards the village he knew he would eventually return to one day. As he got closer and closer to the border, memories were there to welcome him back.

"_Sasuke-kun, I love you more than anything!"_

"_Don't leave…"_

"_If you won't stay, then take me with you."_

"_Sasuke-kun!"_

Sasuke winced as he remembered the words he had left her with before vanishing. Of all the things he could have said, why did he say those words? Was it really so hard for him to sum up his feelings? Maybe love just wasn't for him…

Still, as the outskirts of Konoha came into view, he didn't see trees, rocks, walls, or even the sky. All he saw was that pink-haired girl, hopefully waiting for him where he had left her.

Humming quietly, she sat in front of a mirror, combing through her hair. As she mercilessly pulled the comb through the knots, her eyes floated over to her reflection. She gasped; the comb clattered as it fell onto her wooden floors.

For the first time since he had left, she looked at her reflection in the mirror/ it was only then that she realized how she had avoided looking at herself for so long. What was it that she was so intent on hiding from?

"_Is this…is this really me?"_ In that time, her face had gone through drastic changes. Sakura traced the outlines of her face. Her face had thinned out, looking smooth and angular. Sakura's face had also grown a little into that wide forehead of hers, causing it to look smaller than it used to. But the biggest change of all had occurred in her eyes. The round, innocent corners of he eyes had sharpened, looking sharp and more feminine. They now gave her a strong, determined look. The anxiety, doubt, and fear tat they usually reflected were replaced with self-confidence.

Sakura felt a chill on her neck as the tips of her pink hair grazed her collarbone in the light breeze.

"…_Wait, why is there a breeze? I know I closed that window…"_

She quickly turned around with a kunai in hand. But she was too slow. In movements too fast to read, course, rough hands garbed her arm and pressed her against the walls. When Sakura opened her eyes, she found she was still peering into darkness.

"_Those eyes…"_

He felt the stiffness grow in her back as her emerald green eye stared at his in anxiety. She tried to squirm put of his grasp for a better view of him. His hands held on tight. Leaning forward until they were mere inches apart, he lined his lips to her ear and whispered, "It's me."

But by the time he had leaned in closer, she didn't need to hear his words. The sight of his sleek, jet-black locks told her all she wanted to know. Sakura felt a queasy, squeamish flood of emotions swirl in her stomach. A million different thoughts poured into her confused head. _"Run away, go tell Tsunade, get Naruto, get out of his grasp, kick him in the family jewels, get Naruto, tell Kakashi, get Naruto, do something damnit!" _She realized sadly that Naruto had not come home yet…

"What are you-"

"Doing here?"

At that moment, she hated everything about Uchiha Sasuke. She hated the way he could read her mind, the way he would finish her sentences, the warmth that his touch brought to her cold skin. More importantly, she hated how she felt more alive in his two minutes of coming than she ever had in the two years she had waited for him; the way she felt so many feelings around him when she had promised herself not to. It was like she was an open book; he knew so much about her. But, he hardly knew anything about him at all.

"Do they know you're here? Tsunade?"

"This is the first place I stopped by." He released his hold on her wrists and took a few steps back.

Sakura brushed past him and headed for her door. "I've got to tell someone. They'd want to know about this." As she hurried towards the door, he grabbed her wrists from behind him without turning around.

"Don't tell them."

Sakura froze. "What did you say?"

"I said, don't tell them. Not yet."

Why did it sound like he had said, "Don't leave?" She berated herself for being a fool; he would never beg her to stay. And neither would she…

"Why?"

"Hn?"

"Why did you come back? What about…" her eyes widened in shock and realization. "You killed them," she simply stated.

He nodded. "I figured if I killed them, they would lesson my probation." Sakura faked a yawn. Halfway through, it turned real. All of this was just too much for her to deal with at two in the morning.

"It's getting late. You should go tell them you're back. They've all been really worried about you." Sakura climbed into her bed and brought the covers up to her chin. She waited until he sound of his footsteps some faded away. Sakura recalled their tense conversation, and how coldly she had treated him. The wetness of her tears gathered on her chin, then soaked her pillow. Pulling the covers over her head, she brushed the tears away and cried herself to sleep.

"_I knew that it wasn't going to be easy…"_

"…_But I didn't think it would be so hard."_

He would be lying if he said he wasn't angry. The questions continued to pop up into his head. _"Why is she acting so cold and distant? Doesn't she still…Why doesn't she care anymore?"_ Sasuke put on a blank expression and shrugged. _"It doesn't matter. I don't need her, and she's made it clear that she obviously doesn't need me anymore."_ He ran off into the night in silence.

Kakashi moaned as he got up from bed and reached for the face mask on his side table. He slipped it on and went to the door. Every muscle in his exhausted body told him to go back to sleep, but the persistent knocker outside refused to give it a rest. Stretching his arms, he opened the door. He nearly gasped; he was wide awake.

"You can't be serious."

The boy nodded.

"How did you…it, no. There's no way…but you did. You did it, didn't you?"

She sighed and continued pacing the floor. "I guess I should be celebrating. Konoha's biggest threat has been taken care of, singe handedly, and with no casualties."

Tsunade resumed pacing the floor in a wide circle. As time went on, the circle got smaller and smaller, until she was turning around and around in one spot.

"What are you thinking about?"

She stopped and looked over in Kakashi's direction. "His punishment, of course."

"He took down Orochimaru all by himself. You're still going to give him a punishment?"

"That is beside the point. He deserted our village. He has caused the people of this village to lose hope. They had to watch as their talented, most admired prodigy walked out on them. And…" her thoughts drifted to Naruto. She shook her head sadly and continued. "The boy still needs to be punished."

Her eyes wandered over her room, landing on a small manila file on her desk. She eyed it suspiciously. What the heck was that?

_Flashback_

_Tsunade looked around her clean desk and sighed happily. "No more paperwork. Time for a nap!" She rested her head onto her folded arms and dozed off happily._

"_Tsunade-sama! Tsunade, are you sleeping?" "This is important! Are you listening?"_

"_mmmmrrrr Shizune."_

"_Okay, good. I just got this request. It says the blah blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah by tomorrow. Bye!"_

_End Flashback_

She cursed under her breath and quickly ran towards the folder. Ripping it open, her face paled as she read the document. It was a mission request. As a last hope, she glanced at the clock. Damn; two thirty in the morning. No ninja would accept a last minute mission at this ungodly hour. And it was too late to cancel; Shizune said that there would be an escort at their house by six thirty.

Tsunade snapped and then looked at Sasuke like he was a glass of water in a desert. "Uchiha Sasuke, here is how you can start with your punishment." She shoved the folder at him. "Your first mission, if you will."

Let me just tell you, I've never been so glad to finish retyping a chapter. Well, that's it for now. Reviews, please, if you have the time:D I shall have an update up no later than Saturday. Ciao!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this one took a while. After my Ap exam on F5riday, I was completely burned out for the weekend. Had slight writer's block, so sorry if it's all over the place. Hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, yeah yeah, neither do you.**

Chapter Three: Rewind, and Repeat

She got up at the crack of dawn and slouched into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She poked open one eyeball and winced. With the disheveled hair, puffy red face and crusty eyes, she liked to think of herself as an afternoon type of girl. Sighing, she finished brushing her teeth and stepped out of her bathroom…

Only to be ambushed by a large horde of women. The look of horror and fear wouldn't leave her face as they shoved her into this and that, folding her, tucking her, choking her! These morning routines did nothing to cure her grumpy morning mood. After the attack was finished, the women stepped away so she could take a look at their handiwork.

"_Wow…they can make me look like this?"_

She was dressed in a teal colored kimono with a golden obi. Her hair was fastened into a loose fishtail braid at the back, adorned with various ornaments and pins. Someone quickly shoved a matching fan into her left hand.

"Aren't you excited! Today you are meeting another suitor from the Suna! You must look your best." _"Note to self: slouch. Grunt. Snort. Blow your nose on his clothes. Make that scrunchy lemon face. When you take off your sandal, try to kick him in the face with it."_ The last thing she needed right now was marriage.

Her sister poked her head into the doorway. "Hm…you look pretty good. How much make-up are you wearing, anyway?"

"Yeah, yeah. Besides, I'm much too young for marriage."

"It's not like you're getting married now. They're just…finding someone they'll force you to marry in a couple of years. Fun!"

Before she thought of something smart to say, a maid shoved her out of the door. "Hurry, dear! Your escort's here!" Hinata groaned (softly, though). She was a ninja for goodness sake's. More often than not her escorts were more pathetic than she was. She highly suspected that they only hired an escort to make sure she didn't run for it.

As she stumbled down the stairs she quickly bowed to her escort. When her face became level with his, she gasped. "U-Uchiha-san!" He nodded, giving her a weird look. "W-when did you get back?"

"Yesterday."

"It isn't too much trouble to do this mission? I mean, I'm s-sure everyone wants to know about…um…yeah…"

"Tsunade made me do it."

"Oh. For…"

"My punishment. After this, I'm under house arrest for a month." She winced and followed after him as he walked on ahead without looking back.

Kiba, Shikamaru, and Tenten watched as Hinata and Sasuke took off towards the gates of Konoha. Amidst the village they could hear the older villagers gossiping amongst themselves rather loudly.

"Did you hear? The last Uchiha is back! And he killed that snake sanin!"

"I always admired that boy. So much talent in one so young. I'd argue he's on caliber with the Hyuga progidy."

Tenten scoffed when she heard that last comment. "They wish." She turned to the others. "Don't you think it's wrong that he's getting off of this scotch free?"

"Totally. Orochimaru or not, he turned his back on our village. Isn't that what really matters?" They turned to Shikamaru. From his silence, they assumed he wouldn't bless them with an answer.

As they turned to leave, Tenten and Kiba heard his voice and froze in their tracks. "I think the more important thing is….how will Naruto feel about? Why do you think he went away too train?" They couldn't come up with an answer to his question. Tenten just shook her head and looked in the direction they disappeared to.

"I don't trust him." They nodded in agreement.

Hinata looked down in despair at the soiled, muddy hem of her kimono. She sighed helplessly. The nobles from the Suna would throw her out of their estate, curse Konoha, and then tell her daddy. Great.

Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess I shouldn't have gone this way."

"No, it's okay. If we happen by a river, I'm sure I can wash it out."

He simply nodded and continued to walk along their path. Hinata sneaked a sideways glance at him. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice. She continued to admire his profile; there was a small bump on his nose that was easily concealed when you looked at him full on. Everything about Sasuke was so orderly and calculated that it seemed out of place. Above it, near was a small nick on the bridge of his nose.

"It's from a spar."

She tried to conceal her blush from being discovered.

"With Naruto."

He watched the pitiful look cross her face at the mention of his name. Her hands automatically found themselves, clasping in front of her neck. That fake, empty smile did little to conceal her inner feelings.

_An image of Sakura's face, pleading him to stay, flashed inside his head._

"Smile."

The very idea that he was initiating conversation was enough to put her in a state of shock, let alone his choice of word.

"H-Huh?"

"That frown...it pisses me off." She gulped and bowed her head, covering her eyes. "What's there to be so sad about? One person?" The girl was strangely quiet, but he was too far ahead to stop. The anger was building up inside of him. "How can you put so much value in one person? Three years is nothing." _"I've waited 14 years for revenge, and I'm still waiting._

_"You just let your emotions get in the way of everything. Then you'll end up no where." His thoughts wandered to his teammates, and the fruitless measure they had gone through to keep him from leaving._

"It's not..it's not the time."

He turned his head to face her.

She hesitated a bit under the eye contact, but didn't look away. "I'd wait for him for a lifetime..."

_"But you're dying from just two years."_

"...If I knew he was coming. But he's not." She looked to the side as a single tear slid down the contours of her cheek. Her laughter was raw and forced. "Not for me."

Sasuke was about to open his mouth when he heard a scream from behind. "Uchiha-san!"

He looked behind him in shock just in time to watch Hinata block a kunai aimed for his neck. Unfortunately, that move had cost her. The Sound ninja grabbed her by the waist and whisked her away. Jumping up onto a tree, he looked down at Sasuke. "So deep in thought that your escortee has to save you, Sasuke-kun? We came here to kill you...but this one will do." With that, he disappeared from sight.

The blood spilled into his eyes as his Sharingan eyes scanned the area. How could he have been so caught up in his thoughts that he couldn't even detect an enemy? _"These emotions make me weak...how do you do that Sa...no. That's in the past. I don't even care." _

As she was carried from tree to tree, Hinata remained limp in his grasp. He readjusted her under the loop of his arm. _"One, two, three!"_ She twisted her body until it slipped from his grasp and landed with cat like grace. Growling, the enemy ninja came down after her. She felt the momentum build in her veins like it did during every battle. Getting into her juken stance, Hinata waited at the perfect moment to strike. As he aimed for her left, she could tell from the angle of his hips that he was feigning. At the very last minute she ducked, spinning on her toes. As she came around she struck him near the neck.

Before he lost consciousness, a shrill whistle emitted from him. She covered her ears and winced. When she reopened her eyes, there were at least fifty Sound ninjas surrounding her, all at least Chunins by the looks of it.

"Shit."

Sasuke's brow furrowed as he lost track of her chakra signature. His eyes widened when he sensed a much larger chakra level and quickly headed in that direction. His pursuit left him in front of the doors of an underground cellar. As soon as he opened the door, two thin, slender hands reached up for his. The blood that tainted its pale, soft skin gave off a look of innocence. Without hesitating he closed his fingers over the hands and pulled them out. Hinata quickly rushed towards him with the last of her strength. He caught her with one hand as she passed out and turned his attention to the others.

Her hands were latched onto his arm that held her. Sasuke stood his ground as he looked around. A small smirk crept up to his lips as he scrutinized the group in front of him. "What, come for revenge?"

"Uchiha, you bastard! You had a deal with Orochimaru-sama!"

"You think his underlings can kill me if even he couldn't?"

"Let's see you deal with all of us."

They all charged at him in a big blur. He looked down at the unconscious girl who held onto him for dear life. Protectively, he tucked her carefully against him and watched as the cloud of black and gray approached.

With his Sharingan, he didn't even break a sweat. Every move came to him in perfect sequence. Using precise timing, he stayed routed to his spot and slashed at them savagely. He couldn't see, couldn't think, he couldn't even feel anything. In blind rage he hacked them into pieces. As the corpses fell around him in a circle, he stopped and looked at his destruction.

That stiff, coldness crawled up from his fingertips to his ankles. Taking a few deep breaths, he regained his composure and turned away from the massive gore. He looked towards the East where they had headed; their little detour had cost them nearly half a day's worth of travel.

Sasuke felt her stir against him. She timidly poked one eye open and whispered softly. He leaned in closer to hear her.

"T-the swear jar...where's the…swear…jar…"

What that meant, he had no idea. He simply shook it of as delusion. "Are you awake?" She nodded slowly. He noticed how groggy she was when she woke up; it contrasted heavily with her refined, graceful movements. He crouched in front of her.

She tried to circle one of her arms around his neck, but found to her dismay that one of her arms were useless. Sasuke held on a little tighter to her legs and ran off. Although she kept quiet, he noticed that it took her a great deal of effort to keep on at the speed and velocity they were traveling at. He turned her so that she was in front of him; carefully, he supported her legs with one arm and put an arm around her back near the shoulders. The speed caused her chin to fall against his shoulders.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but he looked down at his shoulders. In sleep she had grabbed hold of his shirt near the shoulders. The way he was holding her reminded him strangely of how one would carry an infant. A soft, nostalgic warmth started to spread within his insides.

Though he would never for the life of him admit it, Sasuke liked that feeling of needing someone. He liked having someone to protect; someone to need him. Perhaps that was what had drawn him to his teammate. Did he really want to go down that road again? Let petty emotions get in his way again?

He adjusted her so that her head was resting under his chin. Maybe this one would be different.

About Sasuke being caught off guard, I felt that Sakura really had a huge effect on him. From the episode in the forest of death, and other hints, no one else seems to evoke so much emotion in him. So I thought it only fitting that she caused so much distraction in him. Well…hopefully you get it. I'll update soon. I mean it!


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